Initial Report

Last Modified: 06/17/2015

1. Which (if any) of these academic issues influenced your decision to withdraw from the MLS program? Check all that apply.

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / I felt unprepared to do graduate work /
/ 0 / 0%
2 / I don't (or didn't) write well, and there was too much writing involved in the course work /
/ 0 / 0%
3 / The course work was too difficult for me /
/ 0 / 0%
4 / There was too much work involved in the courses /
/ 2 / 11%
5 / There was too much reading required in the courses /
/ 1 / 5%
6 / None of these academic issues influence my decision to withdraw. /
/ 17 / 89%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 4
Max Value / 6
Total Responses / 19

2. Which (if any) of these financial issues influenced your decision to withdraw from the MLS program?Check all that apply.

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / I had no financial support for school and could not afford tuition /
/ 3 / 15%
2 / I had some financial support for school, but still could not afford tuition /
/ 1 / 5%
3 / I had a personal financial setback that prevented me from continuing the program /
/ 3 / 15%
4 / I felt like I was spending money on myself when I should have been spending the money on my family /
/ 0 / 0%
5 / I or my spouse lost a job while I was in the program and could no longer afford tuition /
/ 0 / 0%
6 / None of these financial issues influenced my decision to withdraw /
/ 14 / 70%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 6
Total Responses / 20

3. Which (if any) of these family issues influenced your decision to withdraw from the MLS program?Check all that apply.

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / I am/was a caregiver to my parent(s) /
/ 1 / 5%
2 / I needed to spend more time with my spouse and children /
/ 0 / 0%
3 / I had a family member with health challenges /
/ 1 / 5%
4 / I had health challenges myself /
/ 1 / 5%
5 / I had a change in the composition of my family /
/ 2 / 10%
6 / None of these family issues influenced my decision to withdraw /
/ 17 / 85%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 6
Total Responses / 20

4. Which (if any) of these time conflicts/time management issues influenced your decision to withdraw from the MLS program?Check all that apply

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / Course work did not leave me enough time to do the things I enjoy /
/ 1 / 5%
2 / Course work did not leave me enough time for family commitments /
/ 4 / 20%
3 / I had difficulty maintaining a schedule that allowed the timely completion of assignments /
/ 0 / 0%
4 / I had difficulty finding a quiet time and place to do the course work /
/ 0 / 0%
5 / I was unable to balance doing a good job at work with doing a good job in school /
/ 4 / 20%
6 / None of these time conflicts/time management issues influenced my decision to withdraw /
/ 15 / 75%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 6
Total Responses / 20

5. Which (if any) of these stress or burnout issues influenced your decision to withdraw from the MLS program?Check all that apply

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / I felt isolated from other students and from my teachers /
/ 1 / 5%
2 / I felt like I had no guidance from my teachers or my advisor /
/ 1 / 5%
3 / There was so much work involved in the courses that I felt burnt-out early on in the program /
/ 1 / 5%
4 / I could not get enough sleep and was tired all the time /
/ 0 / 0%
5 / My family was not supportive of my participation in a degree program /
/ 0 / 0%
6 / None of these stress or burnout issues influenced my decision to withdraw from the MLS program /
/ 17 / 85%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 6
Total Responses / 20

6. Which (if any) of these other factors influenced your decision to withdraw from the MLS program?Check all that apply

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / I moved out of state and lost in-state tuition /
/ 2 / 10%
2 / A library science program at another university seemed more desirable /
/ 3 / 15%
3 / I was strongly encouraged to get an MLS by others, but wasn't sure it was what I really wanted to do /
/ 0 / 0%
4 / Once I took a course or two, I realized librarianship wasn't what I really wanted to do /
/ 3 / 15%
5 / I didn't enjoy the courses I took /
/ 2 / 10%
6 / I couldn't use the technology required in an online program /
/ 1 / 5%
7 / I decided to retire or stop working, so there was no point to staying in the program /
/ 0 / 0%
8 / I decided to begin a completely new and different career /
/ 1 / 5%
9 / I needed an ALA-accredited degree /
/ 8 / 40%
10 / I did not like online education; I prefer face-to-face instruction /
/ 2 / 10%
11 / None of these other factors influenced my decision to withdraw from the MLS program /
/ 4 / 20%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 11
Total Responses / 20

7. I had an entirely different reason(s) for withdrawing from the MLS program from the previous question choices, which included:Please write your answer in the box below.

Text Response
My husband and I separated.
I was already working on a M.Ed at NCSU and decided to focus on that instead of trying to do 2 at once.
I took a paycut while working as a Media Assistant, and this took away the money I had to pay for tuition. I almost left due to the paycut, but after persuasion from my Media Coordinator, decided to stay a year without taking classes. I then felt stuck, so I went (reluctantly!!!) back to my previous profession to be able to pursue my dream. The time away and several job interviews caused me to consider the need for ALA accredited degree. I decided to finish my degree at NCCU. I must admit, I miss the ECU program and wish I could have stayed, but did not want to gamble knowing what the job market held. In one instance, I heard there were 500 applicants for a job in my home town that wasn't even a real posting...they were required to list the position every year, but knew they were keeping the same person.
I recently had a baby in November (my first one) and I decided that I needed to take a bit of time off to make sure I didn't get burn out from school, work, and having a new baby. I plan to re-enroll in the fall.
The only reason I transferred from ECU's online MLS was to obtain an ALA degree from NCCU's online program. I took all of the courses that would transfer to NCCU in hopes that ECU would obtain the ALA accreditation. However, once I completed all courses that would transfer to NCCU, ECU had not obtained the ALA accreditation. Therefore, to keep as many job options a possibility, I decided it was best for me to transfer to NCCU's MLS program. The support, course information at ECU was top notch; I was disappointed that I needed to transfer to obtain the ALA accredited degree. The other program was not the quality I had at ECU.
Honestly? I don't think it's relevant anymore and my coursework only drove home that idea. While I enjoyed the support and a few of the assignments, I do not see the relevancy of taking two hours to find something through antiquated methods when I could easily Google it and find the right information in about three seconds. That was not the only instance where I felt like the program was alienating me and my classmates. I respect the work my professors are trying to do, but I do not believe that ECU is prepared to churn out effective 21st century librarians. I felt that during my withdrawal process, only professor Marson was actually concerned with my decision and asked if I was okay, rather than focusing on only my retention in the program. I hope that the MLS program will consider this in the future.
My son was entering his Freshman year of college and I couldn't afford his school and go back to school at the same time. Also, teaching in the classroom and trying to do the course load took away too much of my focus with the adoption of the common core.
I was going to school on the gi bill and the gi bill does not give you a housing allowance unless you are taking at least one course on campus. So I would have lost alot of money if I had stayed. It would have helped if you could require 4 electives then I could have taken one on campus class every semester and gotten the housing allowance.
I could transfer to USC and receive in state tuition.
Statistic / Value
Total Responses / 9

8. When I started the MLS program, I wish I had ...Check all that apply

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / A better understanding of the work librarians do /
/ 2 / 15%
2 / Better advising or guidance before admission to the program /
/ 2 / 15%
3 / Better advising or guidance early in the program /
/ 1 / 8%
4 / A peer student who was slightly ahead of me in the program who was willing to help me and answer questions I did not want to ask the instructor /
/ 2 / 15%
5 / A regular group of students I could study with and work on assignments together /
/ 0 / 0%
6 / More opportunities for financial aid through scholarships /
/ 8 / 62%
7 / More opportunities for financial aid through loans /
/ 3 / 23%
8 / A way to make several smaller tuition payments during the semester /
/ 5 / 38%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 8
Total Responses / 13

9. When I started the MLS program, I wish I'd had something not listed in the previous question choices, which is:Please write in your answer in the box below

Text Response
A better understanding of the requirements to gain teacher certification. I attempted to go the route of obtaining a provisional license, but this did not pan out because no one will hire without prior teacher licensure. In retrospect, I wonder if it would have been better to obtain a lateral entry license from my undergrad degree in English, and continue on in the Masters Program.
I wish I had looked into job opportunities, or lack thereof! I also wish I had looked into what a school librarian's job really entails.
I have 20 years in the classroom and am not completely illiterate with technology, but blackboard, etc were all new to me. It took so much time to try to figure out how to submit assignments, how to post on chat boards...I became quickly frustrated. The work wasn't too difficult, but it seemed like it was an overwhelming amount of reading and responding. I felt like I was having to do more just to justify doing online program.
The knowledge that this is not an ALA accredited program.
Way of payback such as the Teacher Co-hort years ago.
Statistic / Value
Total Responses / 5

10. My plans now are to

# / Answer /
/ Response / %
1 / I hope to return to complete the ECU MLS program sometime in the future /
/ 5 / 26%
2 / I do not plan to return to complete the ECU MLS program in the future /
/ 7 / 37%
3 / I have completed, or will complete, an MLS/MLIS program at another university /
/ 7 / 37%
Total / 19 / 100%
Statistic / Value
Min Value / 1
Max Value / 3
Mean / 2.11
Variance / 0.65
Standard Deviation / 0.81
Total Responses / 19